Using physical resistance to visualize local housing affordability

Ground Truth is a custom-built hardware device that links a bicycle's pedaling resistance to local housing affordability data. Created by artist and technologist Justin Blinder, the device uses an Arduino microcontroller and a motor to increase the physical effort required to pedal based on the median rent or housing costs of the neighborhood a cyclist is currently traversing.

How does the ground truth device function?

Ground Truth functions by integrating GPS data with real-time housing market statistics to control the physical resistance of a bicycle. As you ride through a city, the device constantly pulls updated rent or property value data for your specific coordinates via an onboard computer. It then adjusts a motor attached to the bike's drivetrain, making the pedals physically harder to turn in areas with higher housing costs and easier in more affordable zones. This creates a tangible, visceral experience of economic disparity that is often obscured by digital maps or abstract statistics.

Why use physical resistance to map economic data?

Physical resistance serves as a sensory communication tool designed to make abstract economic inequality feel immediate and undeniable. While data visualizations on a screen often fail to convey the daily burden of housing costs, the Ground Truth device forces the cyclist to expend more energy in high-cost areas. This method, often described as 'data visceralization,' moves beyond passive observation, requiring the user to physically participate in the economic reality of the neighborhood. According to research from the MIT Senseable City Lab, physicalizing data can significantly improve user retention and emotional resonance compared to traditional charts or graphs.

What can this tell us about urban gentrification?

This device provides a unique look at how rapidly housing costs shift across municipal borders, highlighting the localized nature of gentrification. By cycling through adjacent neighborhoods, you can experience a sudden change in pedaling resistance, illustrating how economic policy and market speculation create sharp, invisible boundaries between communities. Data from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University confirms that these disparities are often concentrated in very specific geographic blocks, a phenomenon that is difficult to grasp without localized, real-time tracking like that used in Blinder’s project.